MLB Hall of Famers coming to Ocala

Wednesday

Feb 20, 2013 at 11:44 AM

Think getting taught how to play the game of baseball by actual MLB Hall of Famers is too good to be true?

By Jamie VoisineCorrespondent

Think getting taught how to play the game of baseball by actual MLB Hall of Famers is too good to be true?Well, it's not. And it's free, too.Local youth, ages 7-15, will have that privilege from 1-4 p.m. March 3 at Trinity Catholic High School, where the KinderVision Foundation and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni will team up to bring a free baseball clinic to Ocala."KinderVision is an organization that was founded about 20 years ago out of California when a girl was abducted and they never found her," said former MLB player and Ocala resident Butch Benton. "They finally found her about six months later, but of course the result was not what they wanted. So, that is how (KinderVision) came to be."Doug Sebastian is the founder and it's an educational program with law enforcement to educate parents and kids through the school system and through videos and instructional materials to keep them from abduction or sexual molestation and things like that. Major League Baseball has a little bit of pull and they jumped on board — I don't know how many years exactly — it's been awhile. Now KinderVision and Major League Baseball do five events a year around the country to raise money for the program."The camp itself will feature multiple former MLB players, including committed Hall of Fame pitchers Rollie Fingers and Goose Gossage, and will seek to promote child safety. On the field, instruction will be given on the fundamentals of hitting, throwing, catching, fielding, bunting, base running and pitching. Campers should bring a baseball glove and one item to be autographed. Coaches and parents are encouraged to attend.The second phase of the event is a little something for all other baseball fans in the area to get excited about. The retired players will tee-off for a round of golf with attendees at Golden Ocala Country Club in the morning and follow that with a silent auction and dinner banquet in an effort to raise funds for their cause."(The silent auction) is probably the coolest part of the whole thing because that's where we raise a whole lot of money," said Benton, who split time with the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians during a seven-year career that spanned from 1978 to 1985. "Major League Baseball donates some really, really cool memorabilia — you know, signed pictures and autographed balls and just really cool stuff."It was Benton, along with his wife Linn, who spearheaded the effort to bring the event to Marion County, so the former catcher has high hopes for it."We actually just got done with one in California — the last month or so — and we had 1,200 kids for the clinic and that was awesome," he said. "So we're really, really, really hoping — gosh, if we could get 500 kids the first year in Ocala — that would be huge."Those interested in attending the free clinic are asked to report to the Trinity Catholic baseball field by noon March 3 to get registered or to call 812-2878 with any questions.For more information about the March 4 golf benefit, visit www.TheGreatestSave.org/celebrity-ocala.